Sole press



May 10, 1938. W. c. CARD, .JR 2,116,967

SOLE PRESS.

Filed July 25, 1955 'INVENTOR MM2' ga @M4 BY Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 23, 1935, Serial No. 32,691

8 Claims.

This invention relates to sole presses for use in shoe manufacturing operations such as'cement sole aflixing, sole conforming or leveling, channel laying and the like.

An object of theinvention is to provide a sole press which is capable of being rapidly and efficiently loaded and unloaded, is well suited for applying pressure to a shoe sole in the required manner, and at the same time is adapted to accommodate widely varied last sizes.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplied in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims. i

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe `press embodying features of the present invention, parts thereof being shown in sectionbetter to illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken along line 3 3 of Figi;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing another form of last contacting seat on the heel i post; and

Fig. 5 is `a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In my copending application, Serial No. 522,738, filed March 11, 1931, there is shown a novel form of shoe press comprising an inflatable pad having associated with it shoe holding abutments in the form of toe and heel posts which are at all times kept immovable with respect to the press base holding the pad. With such a press, the adjustments heretofore used to move the toe and heel posts toward and from the lasted shoe in loading and unloading operations are eliminated, thus materially increasing the speed of operation.

The press of the present invention retains the characteristic speed of operation of the above mentioned non-adjustable press in that its toe and heel posts are adapted to remain relatively fixed with respect to the press base throughout `successive loading operations, but it is better accommodated to more Widely varied last sizes by making the toe and heel posts adjustable with respect to the press frame. are not to be made each time the press is loaded or unloaded but are available when a run of shoes of a given size is followed by another run of shoes of markedly different sizes, as for example when adults shoes are followed by childrens shoes in the factory production.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 a pr-ess comprising a base I0 which is pocketed so as to receive a pad II of any suitable type. Preferably such pad is suf ciently vertically expansible to compensate for ordinary variations in last sizes through inflation alone. A bow member I2 is integrally cast with the press base and extends longitudinally thereover. The under side of such bow member adjacent its forward end has integrally cast therewith a web I3, the under edge of which extends in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined plane. A toe post guide I4 is attached to the under side of web I3 and also extends downwardly and rearwardly as illustrated. A toe post I5 is slidably mounted on such guide, the upper end thereof being grooved and provided with attaching plates i6 in order to provide a dove-tail connection with the guide. A set screw I'I provided with a suitable hand wheel I8 is mounted in the toe post in position to clamp against the guide I4 so as to hold the toe post in any chosen position. The under side of the toe post is provided with a shoe contacting pad I i] of rubber or like material.

Above the heel portion of the press,.the bow member I2 is provided with a` bore 2l] whichls continued both above and below` the body of the bow member by bosses 2l and 22, respectively. A heel post 23 having a spring accommodating bore 24 in its upper end is assembled with a tension spring 25 having its ends respectively anchored in the heel post bore and to a cap 26 which ls adapted to seat over and be arrested by the upper end of boss 2|. The heel post and its spring cap assembly are vertically insertable through the upper end of' bore 2 until its lower end projects below boss 22, after which a last contacting neel seat 21, of fiat, extensive form, is screwed thereto` A guide screw 28 is extended into the interior of bore 20, being accommodated in a groove 29 in the side of the heel post and acting to prevent These adjustments 50 rotation of such post. The forward edge of the heel post is provided with teeth 30 which are adapted to be engaged by a dog or detent 3| mounted on a shaft 32 which is journaled in bearings 33 cast integrally with and forming a forward extension of boss 22. The shaft 32 is provided with a hand operable wheel 3d and a spring 35 is positioned between such wheel and the adjacent bearing 33 so as to give the dog 3| a normal bias toward and into holding relation with the teeth 30 on the heel post. 'Ihese teeth are so directed that the post may be lowered by hand and held in any chosen position by the detent 3|, but may not be raised. When it is desired to raise the heel post, the hand wheel 34 is manipulated so as to free the detent from the press teeth, whereupon spring 25 automatically lifts the post to its uppermost position.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a desirable form of last contacting heel seat, comprising a flat elongated plate |2'| which is pivotally pinned to the lower end of the heel post following insertion of that member through the bow member aperture. This form of seat is adapted to bear fully against the top of the last cone even when the latter is not in a horizontal plane.

In operation, the toe and heel posts are adjusted to a proper position to permit insertion of a lasted upper and an outsole between them and the pad Il. The pad is thereafter inflated in the usual manner, pressing the sole against the shoe and pressing the shoe against the toe and heel posts. When shoes of a markedly different size are to be operated on, the toe and heel posts may be adjusted in the above described manner so as to accommodate them.

While the presently described embodiment provides a preferred and practical form of the invention, it should be understood that it is illustrative, and that various changes may be made without departing from the invention described and claimed. Thus, the bow member need not extend longitudinally from end to end of the press, but may, if desired, comprise a cantilever 4support joined to the press base at one end only,

or it may comprise two separate cantilever supports, one for the toe post and one for the heel post, which may be joined to the respective ends of the press base.

It will be seen that there has been provided a shoe press which is well suited to fulfill its intended functions. Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specic features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A shoe press comprising an immovable base member, supporting means rigidly and immovably mounted on and extending over said base member, a downwardly and inwardly inclined guideway on the under side of said supporting means, a rigid shoe contacting toe post having a way slidably receiving said guideway with the post extending at fixed obtuse angles with respect to said guideway and the remaining structure and slidably mounted on said guideway, means for fixing said post in position along said guideway, a last contacting heel post carried by said supporting means, and a pressure applying pad carried by said base member and having sumcient vertical expansion to permit successive lasts to be loaded inV said press without moving said toe and heel posts with respect to said supporting means.

2. A shoe press comprising a base member, an immovable rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover and immovably mounted thereon, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined guideway on the under side of the forward portion of said bow member, a rigid shoe contacting toepost having a way slidably receiving said guideway with the post extending at fixed obtuse angles with respect to said guideway and the remaining structure and slidably mounted on said guideway, means for fixing said post in position along said guideway, a last contacting heel post mounted on said bow member, and a pressure applying pad carried by said base member and having suicient vertical expansion to permit successive lasts to be loaded in said press without moving said toe and heel posts with respect to said supporting means.

3. A shoe press comprising a base member, a rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover, a toe-post carried by said bow member, said bow member having a vertical opening therethrough at the heel end thereof, a heel-post insertable within said opening, a last contacting seat attached to the lower end of said heel-post, a cap seated over the upper end of said opening, a tension spring between said cap and said heelpost normally urging said heel-post upwardly, a detent for holding said post in a determined position, and a pressure pad carried by said base member.

4. A shoe press comprising a base member, a rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover, a toe-post carried by said bow member, said bow member having a vertical opening therethrough at the heel end thereof, a hollow boss extending upwardly from said opening and providing a continuation thereof, a heel-post insertable downwardly within said opening, a last contacting seat attached to the lower end of said heel-post, a cap seated over the upper end of said opening, a tension spring between said cap and said heel-post normally urging said heelpost upwardly, a detent forl holding said post in a determined position and a pressure pad carried by said base member.

5. A shoe press comprising a base member, a rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover, a toe-post carried by said bow member, said bow member having a vertical opening therethrough at the heel end thereof, a heelpost slidable in said opening and having a hollow recess in its upper end, a cap seated over the upper end of said opening, a tension spring connected between said cap and the lower portion of said recess, said heel-post having a series of teeth along one side thereof, a pawl detent engaging said teeth so as to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said heel-post, a rotatable shaft mounted on said bow member and carrying said detent, spring means urging said detent into holdingA relation with said teeth, a knob on said shaft for driving said detent out of such holding relation, and a pressure pad carried by said base member.

6. A shoe press comprising in combination a base member, a rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover and immovably mounted thereon, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined guideway on the underside of the forward portion of said bow member, a shoe contacting toe-post slidably mounted on said guideway, means for fixing said post in position along said guideway, said bow member having a vertical opening therethrough at the heel end thereof, a heel-post insertable within said opening, a last contacting seat attached to the lower end of said heel-post, a cap seated over the upper end of said opening, a tension spring between said cap and said heel-post normally urging said heelpost upwardly, a detent for holding said heelpost in a determined position relative to said toepost, and a pressure pad carried by said base member.

7. A shoe press comprising in combination a base member, a rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover and immovably mounted thereon, a toe-post and a heel-post, a downwardly inclined guideway on the underside of said bow member, said toe-post being slidably mounted on said guideway, means for holding such slidably mounted post in xed position, said bow member having a vertical opening therethrough at the heel end thereof, a hollow boss extending upwardly from said opening and providing a continuation thereof, said heel-post being insertable downwardly within said opening, a last contacting seat attached to the lower end of said heel-post, a cap seated over the upper end of said opening, a tension spring between said cap and said heel-post normally urging said heel-post upwardly, a detent for holding said post in a determined position relative to said toe-post, and a pressure pad carried by said base member.

8. A shoe press comprising a base member, a rigid bow member extending longitudinally thereover and immovably mounted thereon, a toe-post and a heel-post, a downwardly inclined gudeway on the under side of said bow member, said toe-post being slidably mounted on said guideway, means for holding such slidably mounted post in fixed position, said bow member having a vertical opening therethrough at the heel end thereof, a heel post slidable in said opening and having a hollow recess in its upper end, a cap seated over the upper end of said opening, a tension spring connected between said cap and the lower portion of said recess, said post having a series of teeth along one side thereof, a pawl detent engaging said teeth so as to permit downward movement and prevent upward movement of said heel-post, a rotatable shaft mounted on said bow member and carrying said detent, spring means urging said detent into holding relation with said teeth, a knob on said shaft for driving said detent out of such holding relation, and a pressure pad carried by said base member.

WILLIAM C. CARD, JR. 

